No, not the pretty flowers. Those were a nice consolation, a thank you gift from my team that helped me plan our first ever Ladies Night Out in Bremerton. What's ugly is the nasty Shingles rash I had, and no way was I going to gross you out with a picture of that! Let me tell you, I've experienced a lot of pain in the last couple of years, but Shingles takes the pain gold medal. I'd had it years ago when our kids were little and figured that would make me immune. Silly me. I wasn't. This has been 2 weeks of sheer torture followed by another week and a half of miserable. And still counting, as my poor little infected nerve endings are still settling down. I told my husband it's like recovering from a severe burn. So, why am I whining publicly? One reason: to encourage you all to get that Shingles vaccine. Yes, I know it's expensive, but trust me, compared to the high cost of pain, it's a bargain. And if your insurance will cover it so much the better. My doctor's nurse did tell me that the vaccine won't prevent Shingles - but it will, hopefully, let you get off with a much lighter case. And for that alone, it's worth it, especially if you're over sixty. (We're more vulnerable as we get older and you can get stuck with lasting nerve damage.) I have to wait eight months before I can get in and get the vaccine. Meanwhile, I'll have to work on rebuilding my immune system (and learn to be a little less tightly wound since stress can be a trigger), and pray this doesn't come after me again. But you can bet after that eight months is over I'll be at the doctor's office, ready to roll. Maybe I'll see you there, waiting to get yours, too.